Quest of Fire
by KeeperOfShadow1
Summary: Quest of Fire is a multi-chapter story I am still working I will keep the story updated as the chapters are written and I would like to thank Crimson Eyed Sakura for Beta-ing this. If you would please give me feedback on this story, it will be appreciated Enjoy! c:
1. Chapter 1: Contemplation

**Chapter 1: Contemplation**

_Eastern Air Temple_

It felt like he had gambled and lost, not just once but twice. Not only had the Avatar not been where he had expected him to be - here at the Eastern Air Temple - but also, he had discovered, his firebending had abandoned him. Even if he could find the Avatar, he would be useless to him now. Like always, it seemed that every decision he made backfired in the worse way, especially the past few weeks. Thoughts of giving up this new destiny he was trying to forge himself had come to him, but he shook them off every time, determined to push on and find the Avatar, for once, to help him.

His fist connected with the stone as he punched the wall in frustration. He wanted - no, _needed_ to find the avatar, but at this moment his thoughts were at a crossroad. Were Zuko to find the Avatar and his friends, he would be of no use, and his only chance of getting them to let him join them would be gone. But he was unsure if he even had the time to delay, to find a way to regain his bending before continuing his quest to teach the Avatar firebending.

Zuko sighed heavily as he decided to wander around in this temple to see if he could find an answer or at least something to point him in the right direction. Zuko doubted anything here would be of any help to him but he guessed he could use the time to ponder about his problems. After walking through the halls of the temple for a time, Zuko still didn't know what to do. He had considered regaining his firebending first, but did not know how he could possibly manage to do that in time.

Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks, waiting for a brief moment before he turned to his left to examine a mural he had spotted from the corner of his eye. The air nomad in this mural… It reminded him of someone… It was almost scary. The mural reminded him of the man he had betrayed, his uncle Iroh. Maybe his uncle knew what had caused his bending to leave him. Zuko sighed heavily. His uncle couldn't possibly forgive him for what he had done to him, let alone that he would help him. But, as this was the only thing he could come up with, Zuko knew he had to try.

The former heir to the throne of the Fire Nation turned back and began to make his way back through the halls and out of the temple. He had only one opportunity to regain what he needed for the one opportunity to regain his honor by helping the Avatar restore balance. The destiny he had envisioned for himself only recently hung by a very thin thread, but if he didn't try, Zuko knew that thread would snap for sure.


	2. Chapter 2: Confrontation

**Chapter 2: Confrontation**

_Fire Nation; Roku's island_

After successfully slipping by the Fire Navy blockade again, Zuko finally reached the place where he believed he could find the solution to his problem. It had taken him days to get to the island where the last Avatar, Avatar Roku, had lived. This island was the place where he suspected his uncle was hiding out, likely high up on the slopes of one of the two volcanoes towering over the rest of the island.

Slowly, he made his way up the slopes, trusting his gut instinct to pick which volcano to check first. Zuko looked up to see how far he had left to go and his features darkened at the sight of the black snow falling down. Apparently there was a Fire Navy patrol nearby, which meant Zuko had to be even more careful - and which would slow down his progress even further - as he tried to avoid drawing any attention to him. At least he was already halfway to the top of the volcano, and he doubted the man he was looking for was that high onto the slopes.

Several minutes later, Zuko managed to make out a small plateau on the slopes, hidden from view from most directions. It would be the perfect hiding place, so, if his uncle was on the island, he had to be there. Speeding up a little, but still making sure he didn't draw attention, Zuko made his way to the plateau and was greeted by the sight of a blue and white tent.

Zuko took a moment, and a few deep breaths, before he entered the tent - a mostly empty tent. Zuko sank to his knees and screamed out in frustration. All of his hopes seemed to dissipate in that one brief second and the all too familiar feeling of failure returned to him. Part of him started wondering why nothing ever came easy to him, and why he always seemed to fail.

"Prince Zuko," a familiar voice sounded behind him. Zuko looked up and across his shoulder to see his uncle standing behind him. Immediately, he dropped his gaze and turned head again. Zuko could not imagine his uncle could be happy to see him, let alone forgive or help him. He merely waited for the inevitable moment his uncle would send him away.

Against all of his expectations, his uncle just walked past him and sat down opposite to him. "Would you like a cup of tea, nephew?" Iroh offered, but Zuko declined. He didn't even feel worthy of being in his uncle's presence, let alone share tea with him. Not that he expected he would be able to keep any tea down right now anyway. "Uncle…," Zuko began, "I... I need your help…"


	3. Chapter 3: Revelation

**Chapter 3: Revelation**

_Fire Nation; Roku's island_

Iroh took a long moment and a large sip of his tea as he looked at his nephew. To Zuko, the silence was almost unbearable - as if that alone was a rejection already. After what seemed like minutes to Zuko, Iroh closed his eyes and nodded slightly. "What is wrong, Prince Zuko?" he asked, indicating his nephew could tell him about his problem.

Zuko sighed heavily, still looking down at the ground between them. "Uncle…" he spoke, "I have lost my firebending." Iroh seemed not to react, as if he was waiting for a longer story. "How am I supposed to help the Avatar if I can't even bend fire anymore?" Part of him wondered why he asked his uncle. Even though he knew his uncle always had words of advice and help, he nonetheless felt like even his uncle could not help him this time.

Again, Iroh took a sip of tea and a moment to contemplate this revelation, which tormented Zuko, before he spoke. "It makes sense, nephew," Iroh finally said. "For years, your one goal was to find the Avatar to regain your honour. For years, your firebending was fuelled by that hatred and goal." To Zuko's frustration, another sip followed before Iroh finished his sentence. "You no longer have those goals, Zuko, and will have to find another way to fuel your bending." Iroh knew Zuko didn't understand exactly how the ways of bending, especially firebending, worked. But he also knew the young prince had to discover parts of this on his own.

Zuko sighed and closed his eyes at his uncle's words. How was this supposed to be of any help? The Avatar didn't have much time left to learn firebending and, as things were now, Zuko was one of the only options left to teach him. After a long moment of silent contemplation, Zuko sighed again and rose from his seat. "This is a waste of time, Uncle," Zuko spat as he turned to leave. "Why do you always have to beat around the bush?" As Zuko took a couple of steps towards the tent's exit, not really wanting to wait for the answer, a small smirk appeared on Iroh's lips. Zuko still didn't understand, but Iroh knew he would, soon enough. "Remember, Prince Zuko - anger never is the only way." Infuriated by what, in his eyes, were merely more cryptic words, Zuko stormed out of the tent. "Whatever, uncle!"

"Halt, right there!" A voice ordered as Zuko stepped out. The sight of half a platoon of Fire Nation soldiers and firebenders greeted the prince, and an anger flared up inside Zuko. Before he could do anything, though, the voice of his uncle sounded behind him. "Let the boy go, captain, and I will come with you without a fight." Zuko looked across his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at his uncle. What was going on? There was no reason not to fight these soldiers for his uncle's freedom… If only he had his firebending…

Iroh slowly walked forward, briefly placing a hand on Zuko's shoulder as he passed him. Without another word, Iroh and the soldiers marched off, leaving Zuko alone on the plateau. Zuko felt anger and disappointment - like he let down his uncle - as he watched the soldiers take away Iroh, his uncle, and the Dragon of the West. Suddenly, it came to Zuko… Dragon of the West… The original firebenders were the dragons.

Unfortunately, dragons were extinct…


	4. Chapter 4: Inspiration

**Chapter 4: Inspiration**

_Fire Nation; Roku's island_

Zuko had spent several minutes in contemplation without moving after the soldiers had taken away his uncle. He knew he might be heading in the right direction to regain his bending with the approach to look at the original firebenders. Even though Zuko knew he would not be able to find one of the legendary dragons, he did believe he could find traces of their legacy, of the way they were bending fire, and of how they taught the first human firebenders - the ancient civilization of the Sun Warriors. Maybe he should travel to the remaining ruins of that civilization; maybe they had documented their ways and teachings somehow. But that would be for later concern.

He nodded decisively to himself. This was the path he would take. Without dwelling on the Sun Warriors any longer, Zuko turned and looked up to the volcano's summit. This had once been the island where Avatar Roku had lived and, if Zuko recalled correctly, Roku had befriended one of the dragons, as had his grandfather, Firelord Sozin. Maybe there were still traces left on this island. Maybe... Zuko's gaze moved down the slopes of the volcano, until he realized there was nothing left on the island. Roku's Island was barren and lifeless, no plants or animals left since the eruption more than a hundred years ago.

Zuko shook his head slowly. Once again, it seemed his plans were burning to the ground even before he went to execute them. Nothing ever came easy to him, unlike to his sister Azula. Often, he had wondered why things always had to be hard on him, but his uncle had always told him that was what made him strong. '_The strongest steel was forged in the hottest fire_' was a quote that came to mind. Thinking about his uncle made Zuko's gaze move from the barren landscape to his uncle's tent. As the soldiers hadn't searched it, and his uncle seemed not to have taken anything with him, there could be things left he could use for his journey. In fact, it would not surprise him at all if his uncle had left something behind...

So, before anything else, Zuko walked back into the tent and looked around carefully. He was searching for anything he could use, anything unusual. Within minutes, Zuko had found a about 25 feet of rope and several supplies he could use, along with one small plain wooden box, decorated with nothing but the symbol Zuko recognized from a Pai Sho piece - the White Lotus. The box had no lock, yet, somehow, Zuko knew this box would not be easily opened by just anyone. It seemed just like his uncle to have something looking so simple, be it a riddle or puzzle.

The prince in exile reached out and touched the symbol lightly, once more wondering about the old man's obsession with that white lotus. As his finger touched the white lotus, however, Zuko realized he felt what was inside. For a brief moment, he could only stare in wonder at the box, his finger still touching the white lotus. Realizing this might be what he was looking for, what his uncle had wanted to guide him towards, had he not stormed out. Once more, he damned his impatience but he had no time to dwell on such things. Slowly he opened the box and looked at what was inside - a small flame, burning seemingly without fuel, without scorching the inside of the box. How... How had his uncle managed to do that?

Suddenly, Zuko realized the flame was dying out very slowly, but he did not know what it meant. If this was a gift or hint from his uncle, he could not allow the flame to fade away, could he? But, how could he keep the flame alive without his firebending. Staring into the flames, Zuko suddenly realized he _could_ keep the flame alive. His ability to bend fire was still somewhere within him. Somehow, he had to learn how to channel that ability again. Iroh's words echoed in his mind. _"You no longer have those goals, Zuko, and will have to find another way to fuel your bending."_ He knew he had a new goal, but he also knew he had to find another way to fuel his bending. This one flame was the first step to finding that.

This flame would _not_ die.


	5. Chapter 5: Revitalization

**Chapter 5: Revitalization**

_Fire Nation; Crescent island_

Zuko had managed to reach the sanctuary at the top of the Fire Temple without drawing attention to himself. The guard patrols had been too regular not to pick up on their routines, so it had been easy for the prince-in-exile to slip past them. The movements of the Fire Sages, on the other hand, had been impossible to predict. For once, though, Zuko had been lucky and had not encountered any of them.

Getting into the sanctuary itself had proven most difficult, as its great doors would only open to a fully realized Avatar or five fire benders, and Zuko was neither. It had taken him hours to find a way in, when he had climbed up until he was right under the roof. There, he had found a small gap between the wall and ceiling he could fit himself through. Zuko suspected the gap was for ventilation of the otherwise sealed off room.

Now, the prince-in-exile was meditating in the centre of the room, facing the statue of Avatar Roku. He knew the former Avatar would not communicate with him. In fact, Zuko wasn't even sure if it was even possible for Roku to communicate with him should he even wish to do so. Nonetheless, Zuko believed this place would show him more about what needed to be done for him to regain – No… relearn – his bending. So far, each step he had taken had shown him the next step to take but somehow, Zuko was hoping for more than just one step here.

The flame he had found in his uncle's tent, he had carried with him to the Temple. It was still alive, but also still dying out slowly - although the process had seemed to slow down significantly. Maybe he was too careful not to feed the flame too much energy. Zuko just did not want to cause the small ember, resting in his hands, to grow into a sudden explosion, undoing the work he had put into it so far.

Within the sanctuary, Zuko felt as if an ageless, primordial power of fire resided right in the stone of the walls, floor and ceiling; a history recorded over the ages, which could only be uncovered by a few – if not only one. He chose not to focus on trying to delve into that which he did not expected he could harness. He instead focused on himself, on the flame in his hands – and within him – and his quest.

_A Quest of Fire._

As Zuko closed his eyes again, he could still see the flame, burning low and slowly dying. A saddening sight and a situation he knew he could fix, if only he had enough time. Time…? That had to be it. For too long, he had assumed it would take time to find his answers. That was not the way of the element of fire. Fire did not wait, Fire acted. If he waited, he would always be looking for answers. If he would act, he would regain what was his. Not only his bending, but also the throne he had been denied. With that realization, the flame before his mind's eye seemed to shift briefly, before flaring up in a bright flash of light.

Zuko opened his eyes again, looking down at his hands to see the flame - which had been weak and almost powerless not moments ago - had turned into a strong, bright flame. Something in him must have awakened at his latest realization. Now, he had to decide on what path to take. Slowly, he rose to his feet and closed the few steps between himself and the statue of Avatar Roku, where he placed the renewed flame in the hands of the statue, before returning to his place in the centre of the room. It seemed only right for the flame to find its home within this sanctuary.

His gaze moved from the statue through the rest of the room. Something seemed to have changed. Not anything visible to the naked eye, but something… about how the place felt. It was probably something within himself that had changed, something that allowed him to sense this – whatever it was. Shifting his focus back onto himself and, more importantly, his inner flame, Zuko was reassured that it was himself which had changed, indeed. His flame was brighter, though he knew his bending would not return to him just yet. This merely was the first true step on his path and many more would follow. But first, Zuko had some matters to attend to. The banished prince would set his uncle free, and he would do so immediately. It was the only way to thank his uncle for making him realize where he had to go first.


End file.
